10 Best Attractions in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur

Best Places to See in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is blessed with a collection of temples, handicrafts markets and art galleries that are must-see items on any travellers’ to-do list in the city. An abundance of these sights are focused in Chinatown, so if you aim to see everything the city has to offer, then some exploration is a definite must.

For a small area largely dominated by the city’s Chinese community, KL’s Chinatown is a thriving tourist bubble crammed with some of the city’s best cultural sites including Central Market, the elaborate Sri Mahamariamman Temple and Chinese temples that are hundreds of years old. Read on for a full rundown of all the 10 Best Attractions in Chinatown:

The focus for the city’s artistic community, Central Market is a KL cultural landmark just a short walk away from Petaling Street. Also called Pasar Seni, it was built in 1928 and used to be a simple wet market until the early 1980s when it was revamped to promote handicrafts fashioned by skilled artisans. In similar vein to New York’s SoHo flea market, the merchandise here is cheap and comprises traditional goods such as batik, embroidery carvings, souvenirs, and sculptures.

Classified as a Heritage Site by the National Heritage Department, the 120 year-old Central Market is divided into different zones, with vendors’ stalls separated by race. The purpose of this zoning practice is to let visitors get an insight into the cultural differences of the various races in Malaysia. There is even a Malacca ‘Jonker Street’, an area that looks like a typical Baba-Nyonya house with Peranakan-style furnishings and fixtures on sale. Another reason to love this market is its collection of local artists who gather outside the building and sell their artworks, or even just break out in impromptu song-and-dance performances. Read More...

Set on Jalan Tun HS Lee, the extravagantly decorated Sri Mahamariamman Temple is Kuala Lumpur’s main Hindu temple. An incongruous sight between two Buddhist temples at the edge of Chinatown, it is a large structure incorporating Spanish and Italian tiles, precious stones and gold in its design.

First built in 1873 by Tamil immigrants, in 1968 significant renovation took place with the construction of an impressive 75ft tower that acts as the entrance to the temple’s inner sanctum. Executed by sculptors from India, there are 228 Hindu idols adorning the five tiers of the polychromatic entry gate.

The oldest (and reputedly the richest) Hindu temple in the city, it is a prominent feature during the annual Thaipusam Festival, when a 21ft silver chariot dedicated to Lord Murugan (Subramaniam) is used to transport the statues of Lord Muruga and his consorts, Valli and Teivayanni, through the city streets en-route to Batu Caves, on the northern edge of the city. Read More...

The Malaysia Heritage Walk, called Kasturi Walk by locals, is a covered, open-air flea market along Jalan Kasturi, a lane running alongside Central Market. Established in early 2011, in similar vein to Petaling Street, you can find vendors selling local snacks, fruits and fake label goods (think, T-shirts, flip flops, watches) set up side-by-side. Additionally, the goods are reasonably priced plus its convenient location makes a trip here worthwhile. Food stalls sell everything from Malay kuih and Chinese dim sum to Indian rojak and other local snacks. A popular spot with tourists, during special events Kasturi Walk organises cultural performances.

To get there using the LRT, alight at the Pasir Seni station: from there it is only a few minutes’ walk to Kasturi Walk; the KTM Komuter also has a stop (Kuala Lumpur) nearby the market. Read More...

One of Kuala Lumpur’s most venerable and refined Buddhist shrines honours the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin, with simple yet dignified architecture. A refuge in the heart of the city, Kuan Yin Temple was built in 1880 and is set in Chinatown (nearby the Masjid Jamek LRT station): it features distinctly Chinese and European baroque architecture.

Within the compound are stalls selling traditional prayer items like joss sticks and candles, lending it a festival-like atmosphere: at prayer times (12:30 – 13:45), the chanting of ‘Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva’ from devotees and priests is a beautiful, melodious sound. We highly recommend a visit to see the three golden Chinese Buddhist statues inside – Shakyamuni (Gautama Buddha), flanked by South Sea Guanyin and Qianshou (Thousand Arm Goddess of Mercy) in the main prayer hall. Read More...

Located at the southern end of Jalan Petaling, Chan See Shu Yuen Temple is one of the largest and oldest surviving Buddhist temples in Malaysia. Built between 1897 and 1906, it is quite an elaborate temple, characterized by a typical open courtyard, an intricately carved roof, gables, and specially-crafted terracotta friezes.

Easily accessible via the Pasar Seni LRT (only a 15-minute walk from the station), it serves a dual function as both a shrine and a community centre. Originally built as a kongsi (clan house) for families with the surnames Chan, Chen or Tan, besides the temple’s beautiful architecture you can also see black-and-white pictures of deceased clan members above the altars on the right and left of the main temple. Read More...

The 121 year-old Kuan Ti Temple is a Taoist shrine located along Jalan Tun HS Lee, easily recognisable for its bright orange façade. It is dedicated to Guandi, the Taoist God of War and Literature, who is the patron saint of martial arts. In China he is extremely popular with the police and triads, and both groups pray to him for divine protection.

Deified in the Sui Dynasty (580-618 AD), replicas of Guandi’s weapons, a famous sword and spear (called guan dao and guan jie) lie in the temple, and devotees believe that it has special powers and that they will be blessed by ‘touching’ or ‘lifting’ the 59kg copper guan dao three times. Inside the temple is a counter where joss sticks and incense are sold. Read More...

7. Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

Although this temple is famous due to its claim-to-fame as the oldest Taoist temple in Kuala Lumpur, it is most memorable as a cultural centre for the city’s Chinese community, especially during festivals such as Chinese New Year. Devotees even believe that circling the temple’s main altar three times will bring good fortune.

Comprising a main prayer hall and two smaller side halls, it is was built in 1864 by Yap Ah Loy in honour of a fallen comrade-in-arms during the civil war in Sungai Ujong, Negeri Sembilan. Dedicated to patron deities Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya, it is located along Jalan Tun HS Lee and is sometimes called Sze Ya Temple by locals. The pathway leading to the shrine is lined with potted plants, and the temple grounds have open-air pavilions, where you can light incense and joss sticks or even ‘crawl’ under a table right in front of statues of Sin Sze Ye and Si Sze Ye – this is supposed to help lessen mortal burdens.

One of the city’s earliest skyscrapers, the Dayabumi Complex is a major Kuala Lumpur landmark. Built in the 1970s along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, the 515ft skyscraper was built to resemble a mosque (the first modern building in KL to do so), by incorporating principles of Islamic design into its architecture. It features patterns of eight-pointed stars, high vaulted Islamic arches at the top and bottom of the tower, and shiny white fretwork (interlaced carved decorative designs).

Also known as Menara Dayabumi, the 35-storey building is spread across 1,621,930sqft. Designed by Malay architect Nik Mohammed, it used to house the headquarters of the national oil company PETRONAS, until they moved to the world famous PETROAS Twin Towers. Read More...

A great addition to the popular tourist spot Central Market is the Annexe Gallery, a modern art gallery located on the second floor of Annexe Central Market. Aimed towards the more laid-back and modern contemporary arts scene, it hosts a series of talks, art exhibitions, book launchings, movie screenings and fashion shows throughout the year. One of the premier events of the space is Arts for Grabs, an arts and crafts bazaar held several times a year to promote affordable art pieces.

The gallery spans over three interconnected spaces that can be partitioned for smaller events, and may accommodate several exhibitions at a time. Usually frequented by KL’s young and savvy, admission to the gallery is free. Read More...

Housed in a colonial-style, 100 year-old former textiles warehouse in Chinatown, The Warehouse is a hip and quirky art gallery with a café, bar and restaurant (Ril’s Steakhouse) attached to it. Renaissance-style couches, woven rattan chairs and fairy lights together with concrete floors and terracotta tiles and pillars, results in an eccentric, whimsical Wonderland look.

The gallery, which has a series of rotating exhibits by modern local and regional artists, plays 90s indie rock music such as Radiohead and Collective Soul. Each art piece, whether a sculpture, painting or installation, spruces up the space and instantly grabs your attention. When we visited there was a canary-yellow mannequin with a bronze, octopus-like art installation on its neck – we thought it was humorous and thought-provoking. Read More...

Related Pages

Chinatown is full of sights, sounds and smells that will tantalise your taste buds - forget about searching its narrow streets for the best places to eat, and simply check out our list of favourites. Read More...

An area of Kuala Lumpur known for its bustle and exotica, Chinatown KL is a well-known bargain hunter’s paradise that seemingly never sleeps, with several exciting retail experiences along its busy, narrow streets. Read More...

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